1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an automatic recording/reproducing method and an automatic recording/reproducing apparatus. For example, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a method or an apparatus which automatically records a desired program onto a recording medium by using electronic program guide (EPG) information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an information recording medium such as a hard disk and an optical disk as a recording medium has been increased in its storage capacity. Therefore, a method and an apparatus for automatically recording a desired program on a recording medium by connecting recording/reproducing equipment using such the recording medium to, for example, a television receiver have been prevailed. Program recording reservation information is prepared by using the EPG information so as to realize an automatic recording function and an automatic recording/reproducing apparatus. It has been taken into consideration for an apparatus to automatically set the recording reservation information by automatically searching for a program related to the concerned category from the EPG information when a desired category is specified (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) 2004-220696).
As mentioned above, the program recording reservation information (including such as a broadcast start time and a broadcast ending time of a reserved program) prepared by referring to the EPG information or an instruction manual is stored on a memory and the apparatus is brought into a stand-by state. Then, when a timer detects the broadcast start time of the reserved program, the apparatus executes recording of the reserved program in the corresponding broadcast time slot.
A conventional apparatus; however records all of a plurality of reserved programs or categories. For example, the reservation for a plurality of news programs different in time slot causes to record all these programs.
However, it may be sufficient for a user to view the latest news program, so that the recording of old news programs is a waste of time. And in terms of the weather forecast, it is sufficient for the user to view the latest forecast program, and thus recording old whether forecast programs is a waste of time.